Suburban Hymns

Life and Times, Suburban Hymns, Life And Times | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 9, 2005)
• Original Release Date: 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Desoto
• ASIN: B000AHJ7RK
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #87,907 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars slow burning fire that renovates the earth, September 25, 2005

By 

dontbesojumpy (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Suburban Hymns (Audio CD)

what a slow burn this baby is...but man it's igniting something grand. this album tricked me. it made me think i didnt like it that much at first. but then, i m an idiot sometimes. most good things in life are have a value that transcends first impressions...sometimes things are so good they take a few minutes to change your tunnel-vision mindset and open your brain to something wonderful. this is one of those things.

i am a GIANT shiner fan and i loved the first LaT EP. the first thing i thought about this album is "too grown up, too happy." but 1: growing up can still be a good thing and 2: is there such a thing as 'too happy?'

the point is this album is full of super-subtle hooks that are like a virus...they get inside you and when you least expect it, you'll be stuck at working thinking you need to hear "Charlotte St." the same way a smoker needs nicotine.

the song construction...the melodies...the whole deal...it's not shiner. it's not old LaT...it's not ANYTHING i've ever heard. so very different and so very majestic.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars it's a good one, August 2, 2006

By 

thescalpel (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Suburban Hymns (Audio CD)

I never get tired of this one. There isn't a single weak component. The bass guitar, vocals, and songwriting are great, and the drumming is outstanding. It's called "suburban hyms" but manages to not be bubbly major key pop about highschool or unlistenable emo-ish garbage about ex-girlfriends. It's solid rock 'n roll so there is none of the plodding slow droning to common in "indie" type stuff, but it has enough of an indie touch to keep the songs from sounding typical at all. The singer passes my standard test of singing in his own voice. He doesn't sound like he's trying to imitate anyone which for some reason is not the norm.

I like it better than the singer's old band "Shiner" because it seems a little smoother and more polished to me. I really don't see how anyone could really dislike this one.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ultimately a step forward, September 23, 2005

By 

Timothy M. Fuglei (CO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Suburban Hymns (Audio CD)

I was not a little worried when I discovered the new band name and a few track titles that had risen from the ashes of the mighty Shiner--to be honest, they smacked of emo pandering. Conor Oberst is (thankfully) nowhere to be found in this midwestern rock band, so why "Skateland?" Were the dark, abstract poems and sledgehammer riffs of K.C.'s finest to be replaced with warbling ballads about lost childhood toys and such? I figured hey, it's Alan Epley, so it'll at least be worth a few spins for the voice alone.

Track one sets a good level of expectation with the moony, Kevin Shields-esque lead and some well produced vocals, and it segues nicely into a decent uptempo/sad "Coat Of Arms." So far, nothing bad, but nothing great. "Charlotte Street," however, had me worried--pretty directionless speed and heat without a center, and basically lapses into the rare (but real) territory a Shiner song or two did, wherein Jeffrey Jones' criticism in Amadeus ("too many notes!") holds true. Where was the band going? Had the ravages of time finally catching up with our alt-rock superhero's skills?

Fortunately, Epley laughs kindly in my doubting face, turns around and knocks the next 6 tracks out of the park like a pre-drug test era MLB star. I would argue that they stand as some of his best tunes. "Muscle Cars" is built around a simple, catchy and heartbreaking riff; the aforementioned "Skateland" is a great bass riff building to a triumph/tragedy chorus and going out sounding like "Unforgettable Fire" B-side heaven; "Thrill Ride" is a flat-out gorgeous and haunting showcase for this woefully underrated singer's skills. The rock gets amped up for the following three songs in fine style, and leave you feeling like you're catching your breath after a good roll in the hay as the closer "A Chorus Of Crickets" winds down with, um, a few too many notes. Still, I'm proud to say it remains a pleasure to hear the brand of rock and roll Alan Epley graces our ears with, and I hope many, many people make this discovery as The Life And Times weaves across America this year.